Tag Archives: podcasts

EPISODE 15: ADAM MCDONALD

Welcome to Adequate Yearly Progress, episode 15. In this episode, I interview Adam McDonald, a relatively new computer science teacher. Adam just started teaching at Eckstein with me this year and has an interesting background: he studied history in college, taught in Thailand for a few years, worked at a nonprofit to get students into computer science, and on a non-teaching but generally interesting sidenote, is the youngest of 12 kids!  Listen to Adam talk about his optimistic outlook on teaching, what computer science education at a middle school looks like, and how history and computer science go hand in hand.

Download Adequate Yearly Progress Episode 15 Adam McDonald

EPISODE 14: TUESD CHAMBERS

Welcome to Adequate Yearly Progress, Episode 14. In this episode, I finally interview a school librarian so you can understand what we do and why we do consider ourselves teachers. TuesD Chambers is an energetic, enthusiastic, dynamic school librarian at McClure Middle School in Seattle, WA who has years of experience as a language arts and social studies teacher and who transitioned into a school librarian a year and a half ago.  Listen to TuesD talk about the day-to-day life of a middle school librarian, why this profession brings her so much joy, and the impact she has had on a few students in particular.

Download Adequate Yearly Progress Episode 14 TuesD Chambers

EPISODE 12: CHRIS BACH

Welcome to Adequate Yearly Progress, episode 12.  This episode features Chris Bach, a teacher and friend of mine who only started at Eckstein last year but is someone who I feel like I’ve known for a long time. Chris has taught high school, has his principal credentials, is now teaching middle school and what comes across in this interview is his full commitment to education, love of teaching and how he tries every day to make learning both relevant and fun for students. Listen to Chris talk about how he transitioned from someone who was not engaged in school into someone completely motivated to change the world through teaching.

Download Adequate Yearly Progress Episode 12 Chris Bach

EPISODE 11: JESSICA LEVINE

Welcome to Adequate Yearly Progress, episode 11. Today’s interview features Jessica Levine, a compassionate, musical, energetic science teacher at Eckstein Middle School.  Jessica and I not only have a shared interest in using theater and music in the classroom, but also love John Green novels, sharing books of all types we’re reading with each other, and we both went to small liberal arts colleges. (I went to Carleton College and she went to Oberlin). Listen to Jessica talk about how she transitioned from working in environmental after-school nonprofits to public school, the power of song and rhythm in teaching, and a new way she’s engaging students in their own assessments this year.

Plus, a bonus! In this episode, instead of using the normal intro and outro music,  you get to listen to Jessica singing and playing the ukelele for a science parody of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising that explains the concepts Conduction, Convection, Radiation. A great test for you who haven’t studied science since high school. (I’ve put the words below). 

Download the episode here: Adequate Yearly Progress Episode 11 Jessica Levine

Download a copy of just the song parody here

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Conduction, Convection, Radiation

I see the temperatures a-risin’

I see the heat move away

I see particles move like lightning

I see heat transfer here today

 

CHORUS:

Cause you can’t get cold tonight

Heat’s bound to leave your life

When heat transfer’s on the rise

 

Conduction, convection, radiation

I know the heat is coming soon

I know the way that heat’s a-flowin’

I know it’s hot to cold it’s true

 

CHORUS

 

Conduction, convection, radiation

I hope that you’re getting this all right

Looks like we’re in for nasty weather

Losing heat til equilibrium

 

CHORUS x3

EPISODE 10: JOSH HANSON

Welcome to Adequate Yearly Progress, Episode 10! Today’s interview features Josh Hanson. Josh is a P.E. teacher at Eckstein who has also taught social studies, language arts, science, and tech at a middle school level, which just goes to show you his breadth of knowledge and excitement for teaching.  Listen to Josh talk about his vision for P.E. curriculum, how on earth he has so many endorsements, and about the benefits of substitute teaching all over the district.

Download Adequate Yearly Progress Episode 10 Josh Hanson

EPISODE 9: LINDA REGER

Welcome to Adequate Yearly Progress, episode 9! After a brief hiatus for the holidays, we are back with a great episode featuring Linda Reger. Linda is a retired teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing in Connecticut and has a lot of experience to share about being a speech and audio pathologist at public schools, team teaching at a time when that was a completely new concept, and developing meaningful relationships with students.

Download Adequate Yearly Progress Episode 9 Linda Reger

EPISODE 8: SAM HUCKABEE

Welcome to Adequate Yearly Progress, episode 8.  In this episode, I interview Sam Huckabee, who also used to work with me at Eckstein Middle School and now teaches special education at Jane Addams Middle School in Seattle. Sam is one of those compassionate, super-organized, and confident teachers who forges strong relationships with students. Listen to her talk about her how she transitioned from teaching theater to special education, how she deals with the sometimes frustrating bureaucracy that education and special education in particular can be, and her future career aspirations.

Download Adequate Yearly Progress Episode 8 Sam Huckabee

EPISODE 7: KENDRA HOERST

Welcome to Adequate Yearly Progress, episode 7. In my seventh episode, hear from my friend, Kendra Hoerst, who used to work with me at Eckstein Middle School as a language arts/social studies teacher and now works at Whitman Middle School. She is a warm and caring person who I share book recommendations with and can be found laughing with her students, and (bonus!) also plays roller derby. How cool is that?? In this episode, Kendra talks to me about growing up in a nontraditional school environment, strategies to teach struggling students, and a learning experiment with clay.

Download Adequate Yearly Progress Episode 7 Kendra Hoerst